NDC vs GDS: What's the Difference?

NDC and GDS are two of the most confused terms in travel distribution, partly because they are often framed as competitors. They are not really the same kind of thing. One is a network that has moved airline content for decades; the other is a modern standard for what that content can contain. This guide explains each in plain language, sets out how they differ, and shows why they increasingly work side by side.

What is a GDS?

A GDS, or Global Distribution System, is a central network that collects fares and availability from many airlines and makes them bookable in one place. The three big names are Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. For decades this is how travel agents have searched flights, compared options across carriers, and issued tickets, all from a single connection instead of talking to each airline separately.

The GDS model dates back to the era of airline mainframes and green-screen terminals. That heritage is its strength and its limit. It is reliable, neutral and deeply integrated into agency workflows, but the underlying data format was built to describe a seat and a price, not much more. Rich content, bundles and airline-specific offers were hard to express in it.

In short, a GDS is best understood as a distribution pipe: a shared, standardised marketplace that connects airlines to a huge network of travel sellers.

What is NDC?

NDC, or New Distribution Capability, is a data standard created by IATA, the airline industry body. It is based on modern XML rather than the older messaging formats behind the traditional GDS. Its purpose is to let airlines describe and distribute far more than a bare fare: branded bundles, ancillaries like bags and seats, images, and offers tailored to a given customer or channel.

The key point is that NDC is a standard, not a company or a network. It defines a common language for how airline offers are structured and exchanged. Airlines, GDSs, aggregators and technology providers all implement that standard so their systems can speak to one another in a consistent, modern way.

NDC grew out of airline frustration that the legacy pipe could not carry their full product. With it, a carrier can present the same kind of rich, personalised offer through a travel agency that a customer would see on the airline's own website.

NDC vs GDS: the key differences

The clearest way to see the difference is side by side. A GDS is a network with its own commercial model; NDC is a technical standard for the content that flows through modern channels.

Put simply, GDS answers "where does the content travel", while NDC answers "what can that content contain and how is it formatted". That is why comparing them as direct rivals is misleading.

Do NDC and GDS compete, or work together?

It is tempting to read NDC as the replacement for the GDS, but that is not what is happening in practice. The GDSs themselves have adopted NDC and now carry NDC offers alongside their traditional fares. Rather than one displacing the other, the two are converging: the network stays, and the standard upgrades what moves through it.

For a travel seller, the practical reality is a mix. Some airline content is still best reached through the classic GDS, some fares and bundles are available only through NDC, and low-cost carriers often sit outside both and need their own direct connections. Full coverage means having access to all of these, not betting on a single channel.

This is why the useful question is not "NDC or GDS" but "how do I reach all the content my customers want". The answer is usually aggregation: one integration that pulls GDS, NDC and low-cost sources together so you do not have to choose.

How altovo brings GDS, NDC and low-cost content together

altovo (formerly easyGDS) connects GDS, NDC and low-cost carrier content in a single integration, so airlines and travel agencies get full content coverage without ripping out the systems they already rely on. Instead of choosing between the legacy network and the new standard, you get both, plus the low-cost sources that sit outside them, through one connection.

That means an agency keeps its familiar GDS workflows while gaining NDC fares, bundles and ancillaries, and an airline can distribute its richer content more widely without forcing every partner onto a new pipe overnight. You can read more on our connectivity page, and if you are weighing your options our guide to GDS alternatives for travel agencies covers the content side in more depth.

See how full content coverage works for travel agents and for airlines.

Frequently asked questions